Interested in Foster Care?
Growing up, I had friends who were foster children. It was never easy listening to their story and the hardships they had to face, even after being taken into foster homes. Some were fortunate to have nurturing foster parents that treated them as their own, whereas others had quite varying experiences. It is important to learn about foster care, because there are currently 47,885 foster children in Canada (Government of Canada, 2020). You are bound to maybe encounter someone in foster care, be interested in it or know someone that is interested. If you are unfamiliar with fostering, it is when a child or youth is brought into a family that can provide life necessities if their birth parents are unable too. Foster parents are those who take-in the child under their care. It may seem complex, but they are just individuals who want to parent or perhaps have a desire to contribute to the child’s wellbeing. The duration of foster care can vary for each child, as it depends on their situation. Some children might require just a few days, a week, several months or even years. If the system is unable to reunite the child or youth with their family, it is possible for alternative permanent options, such as adoption. Continue to read on if you would like to learn more about foster care, as May is dedicated to bringing awareness to foster child welfare professionals and other community members that help youth in foster care find permanent homes.
Although foster care is quite beneficial and makes a large impact on the child, there are examples of improper foster care. As you may have seen in the news, a 16-year-old named Ma’Khia Bryant was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer (Tim Craig, 2021). The event leading up to the shooting was a physical altercation between Bryant and a former foster child that previously lived at her residence. The disturbance at the foster care house indicated that there are deeper problems in the foster care systems, as the parents require more training on how to de-escalate conflicts and more funding for social workers (Tim Craig, 2021). We need a different structure of hierarchies to treat varying problems in foster care homes. Nearly all children in foster care are somehow traumatized by being apart from their birth, therefore having armed police officers as first responders for these incidents can be considered questionable.
Cases, like Ma’Khia Bryant, show how important the decision of becoming a foster parent is. Many factors play a role, such as the number of people in the home, the cleanliness of the house, the parent’s work schedule and financial situation. The foster parent’s job and overall availability can even matter, as some children may require more parental care to recover from previous experiences. While keeping all these important requirements in mind, you can do an self-evaluation to see if you are truly fit to be a foster parent. If you pass this self-evaluation, you can apply by completing two basic requirements. All Ontario foster care applicants must fulfil a SAFE home study and PRIDE pre-service training program. SAFE home study is a standardized assessment model that includes an application, home safety questionnaires, medical evaluations, criminal record check, references and Children’s Aid provincial database check. The entire process can take 4-6 months and is completed by a Children’s Aid worker. The second is to complete a nine-module training program called PRIDE pre-service. It includes information about adoption, child development, effects of neglect, identity formation and other essential topics. It is worth pointing out that this module is only 27 hours long, and does not include any practical training, such as CPR training or mental health first aid. As an example, if a parent was given a month-long responsibility for a foster child, it is hard to say that a day-long module can provide so much support. Therefore, even though it is not required to take CPR or mental health first aid courses to be a foster parent, you definitely should. As shown in the Ma’Khia Bryant case, the majority of foster children are struggling with mental health problems. As a parent, it would be greatly beneficial to acquire the necessary skills required to handle any mental health crisis responsibly.
Despite it all, these kids deserve to have a place to call home and someone to call family. It can be difficult taking in teenagers or toddlers from their birth parents, however the ultimate goal is providing them with better resources, parental models and unconditional support for a more promising future. Foster parents should be appreciated every month, not just May, as they are opening their hearts and homes to help children in need.
Sources:
Fostering. (n.d.). Retrieved May 01, 2021, from http://www.oacas.org/childrens-aid-child-protection/fostering/
Government of Canada, S. (2020, August 04). Families and Households HIGHLIGHT tables, 2011 census. Retrieved May 01, 2021, from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/fam/Pages/highlight.cfm?TabID=1&Lang=E&Asc=0&PRCode=01&OrderBy=8&Sex=1&tableID=304
Tim Craig, R. (2021, April 30). Foster parents want answers after death of 16-year-old in Columbus. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/columbus-police-shooting-foster-care/2021/04/29/e771d69 c-a82a-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html
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